Auntie Shrew
Auntie Shrew is an anti hero in The Secret of NIMH. It is later revealed that though she appears to be an antagonist, she is actually just rude at certain points, compared to the real antagonist. She is the baby-sitter for Mrs. Brisby's children, though she is Martin's former arch-enemy and does not seem to like him much because of his impudence, and self-appointed community leader for the animals in the garden. She also used to be jealous of Brisby until she reforms to help her turn off the plow. She was voiced by the late Hermoine Baddeley. Personality Her personality has varied throughout the movie, and still now isn't quite settled. But one this has never changed: she is the most horrible biddy you can imagine, and worse. Auntie Shew is a nosy, close-minded busybody who takes it upon herself to ensure that all the wild animals on the farm are safe, even to the point of intrusiveness. While vicious and hostile, she has good intentions, wanting only to ensure the safety of her friends and neighbors, especially the meek Mrs. Brisby. She seems to be hard of hearing, or simply too wrapped up in her own melodramatic air that she needs to be repeatedly told things before acknowledging them, as with Mrs. Brisby's children repeatedly telling her that their mother is not home and that Timmy is sick. Despite all this, she also seems to be quite athletic as well when it came to stopping the plow. Role in Film Auntie Shrew is the guardian/homewrecker of the Fitzgibbons Farm, and the former archenemy of Martin. They tell each other to hush up, and exchange insults, until the Shrew is so fed up with him, that she starts to storm off, until Mrs. Brisby comes to her family's defense. Enraged to find out that Brisby is spoiling Martin on purpose, the biddy warns the mouse of the farmer's upcoming mowing the next day. When the Shrew leaves, Brisby scolds her children for the argument, and then proceeds to feed Timmy his medicine. The next day, the Shrew shouts at all the animals to evacuate the field in order to escape the coming plow. When it threatens to destroy Mrs. Brisby's home, she jumps into the plow to sabotage the fuel injector and buy them more time. She also suggests asking the Great Owl for advice. Later, the Shrew ties Jeremy in his own strings and accuses him of "snooping about," making the crow realize her rude colors, until the children interrogate him about their mother's whereabouts. That evening, the Shrew hears from the children about the Rats, whom she thinks are barbarians, until the house is lifted off the ground, and the Shrew is knocked out cold by the debris, Her fate remains unknown afterwards. Role in the sequel The Shrew reappears in the sequel, this time wearing a purple robe. She somehow knows about Nicodemus's "prophecy" and still dislikes Martin very much. Trivia *Despite being called Auntie, she is clearly not related to the Brisbys, as she is not the same species. Likely, the term, "Auntie," is a term of respect and endearment. *She seems to be bigger than Brisby's kids (especially Teresa), but quite smaller than Mrs. Brisby. *Auntie Shrew's overbearing behavior caused her to appear as the main antagonist, but she was not a true villain. The real antagonist is Jenner. Category:The Secret of NIMH Category:The Secret of NIMH characters Category:Antagonists Category:Antiheroes Category:Characters Category:Females Category:Neutral characters Category:Reformed characters Category:Adults Category:Barefoot characters Category:Anthropomorphic characters Category:Characters who run on all fours Category:Heroines Category:Villains Category:Animals Category:Talking animals Category:Content Category:The Secret of NIMH Villains Category:Grumpy characters Category:Tertiary Antagonists